Offspring Ch. 025

Over the next two weeks I introduced Mara to different ways of having sex. All her experiences to date had been mainly unsatisfactory couplings in the proscribed missionary position with her ex husband.

To have sex standing up, sitting down, doggie style or with her legs over my shoulders was new to her and she embraced it with enthusiasm. She loved it when I went down on her and even tried sucking dick. While this turned her on no end it did little for me. The moment I blew my wad I wound up on that Oktonian shagging platform in my hotel. I would have loved to introduce her to facials, cream pies and a mouth full of come, however, such things were not to be. It pissed me off no end. I guess I could have fucked her up the arse, but this sort of thing never held any attraction for me when there was a perfectly serviceable pussy no more than two inches away.

With all the fucking there was never much time for conversation. I wanted to find out so much about her world and I wasn't getting anywhere. On her next free afternoon I told her about my frustration.

"Why don't you use the library," she said, "everything you want to know will be in there. We keep very good records about most things that happen here."

"Where is the library? Can I work in there without being spotted as an outsider?"

"Use any one of the computers in the conference rooms."

I had known that that all conference rooms contained a computer terminal. I had not been game to switch one of them on for fear of raising an alarm. When I voiced my concerns Mara just laughed.

"The system is on automatic. It is always on. The only time someone checks on the machines is when there is a malfunction. Anyone is free to use the system at any time. You are quite safe."

Before we called it quits for the day Mara took me to one of the conference rooms and showed me how to get into the system.

I thanked her, bent her over one of the desks and fucked her from behind to get home.

***

Next day I went early. I retrieved my camera from its hiding place and took pictures of the room, the computer and filmed myself getting into the system so I could show it to Feng. When the time came I went to service Mara and made my way home with the memory module up my arse.

Feng was delighted when I showed him.

"This is an XGA-9944 of Earth manufacture," he said. "Its a few years old. I doubt there are any still around on the spaceport here, but it doesn't matter. I'll have all the technical details in my files somewhere so we'll know what we are dealing with. I'll build a memory module that can plug straight into the machine so we can copy files and take them with us."

"What for?" I asked. "We can look at anything we want without that."

"Think about it. Each minute we spend on their machines increases the risk of getting caught. I can download enough shit in a few hours to keep us busy for weeks. We can study the material at our leisure here in complete safety. Besides we will have a record."

Feng was right. It had to be the way to go.

"Now we need an excuse for you to spend a lot of your time behind a computer. The Federation will wonder what you are doing and have you watched every step of the way unless we can come up with a valid reason for it."

"That might be a tall order."

"Perhaps not. I have an idea that might be worth developing. My uncle is looking for a mining engineer for a new project. You want the Federation off your back anyway. This might just be the ticket. Let me talk to my uncle. He knows of you. I am sure he'll go for it."

Feng called his uncle on his mobile and talked to him in Chinese for about ten minutes.

"The job is yours, if you want it. Let me tell you what it entails," he said after he finished his call. "He has sent a number of space probes to a small planet earmarked for possible exploitation. Your job would be to evaluate the data and identify commercially valuable deposits. In addition he wants you to liaise with the Oktonian negotiators regarding the Zabuyelite shipments."

"He is putting a lot of trust into a man he knows little about," I said, suddenly a bit weary of this deal.

"Don't underestimate my uncle. He didn't get it from me, but he has a copy of your report to the Federation. He knows exactly what he is doing and who he is dealing with."

"Tell me Feng, your uncle wouldn't be negotiating a deal with the Oktonians to mine one of the planets in the proscribed zone?"

"He hasn't exactly said it, but that's what I figure. I knew it wouldn't take you long to catch on to this."

"I take it your uncle doesn't know about the time travel bit?"

"Are you nuts? We would be just as badly off as telling the Federation about it. No one must find out about that shit or we are history."

"Good. In this case I like the idea. The whole deal falls square within my area of expertise and competence. There won't be any raised eyebrows why I am so interested in the job. All I need to do now is to think of a way to sell it to the Federation. You can tell your uncle that I'll try. I need to resign my commission first before we can move on this. I'll keep you posted."

I took my leave, went to my room and drafted a letter to General Taubner.

I explained Feng's job offer and outlined why it would be in the Federation's interest if I took the job.

I have come to the end of the line with my current research, I wrote. I shall keep in contact with the Oktonians I have dealt with so far, just in case something unexpected turns up, but I sincerely doubt anything of interest will come from this quarter in the foreseeable future.

There are only two areas where we interact with the Oktonians. The workers at the space station I have dealt with so far and the human negotiators who deal with all the commercial arrangements. These negotiators must be, by necessity, far better informed about Oktonian affairs than the workers. If I am to find out more about Oktonian society I need to get close to these people.

This job offers a unique opportunity to do just that. It will take a while to establish trust, but there is no telling what I might be able to find out over time from this source.

Allow me to suggest a way to proceed.

Officially I resign my commission with an "I wish you well" from the Federation.

Unofficially I stay in contact with the Federation and report anything of interest I come across.

Personally I would prefer if I could continue to liaise with Colonel Nakov. He is a competent and honourable officer who is sympathetic to the project and intimately familiar with my research to date. In my view it would be difficult for the Federation to find a more qualified and enthusiastic man for the job.

In closing I would like to say that what I am proposing is little more than a chance to have a chance, but in the absence of other promising avenues of investigation perhaps well worth the effort.

Awaiting your orders.

Frank Walters, Major

By that time it was late and I went to bed.

***

I got up early, printed out my letter and went for breakfast; in uniform.

At nine AM I rang Colonel Nakov and asked for a one on one meeting on an important matter. He said he would see me at ten. There was just enough time to get to his office.

"This conversation is not taking place," I said after my salute. "What I have here is a letter to General Taubner, level one security, your eyes only. I would like you to read it before I send it off."

I handed the letter to Nakov. He read it several times and handed it back to me.

"This is quite a rap you gave me, Major."

"I am only stating facts to the General, Sir."

"Why are you showing me this?"

"I want you to know what is going on when this comes down the tubes shortly, as I suspect, Sir."

I encrypted the letter and mailed it off to the General. When I was done I destroyed the original. Things would take their course.

I rang up Feng and said: "I want you to take me to lunch today at my hotel. Order something elaborate to make it look as if you are courting me. I'll turn up in uniform. We'll be noticed. It'll help down the track if this deal comes together."

"Good idea. I'll be there at twelve. Be a little late."

I had to grin. Feng is good on scams. Just how good he is I found out when I turned up at eight minutes past twelve. He wore an impeccably tailored charcoal grey business suit, white shirt, maroon tie and black shoes polished to perfection, every inch the high powered executive.

He bade me sit down and offered me an aperitif. This was followed by oxtail soup, prime rib of beef with mashed potatoes and asparagus, accompanied by an expensive Bordeaux, strawberries flambe for afters followed by an old French Cognac and coffee. It would have cost a small fortune. We would be remembered!

I told him over lunch what I had done with the Federation.

"I'm glad you took up my suggestion to give Nakov a good rap. He's been in line for promotion for a long while now. This just might him put over the line. If it does he'll blow your trumpet forever."

"So, what do we do now?"

"I have an appointment with the tart at four PM. I want to have a look at the computer. There is enough information on the shots you gave me, I should be able to get there without much trouble."

"You think you're ready?"

"I got to try sometime, might as well be now."

"Good luck. I'll see you at five in the bar, you can tell me then how you went."

We shook hands and went our own way. I took the lift up to my room to get changed. Hopefully I wouldn't need the uniform any longer, good though it looked on me. It just wasn't my thing.

***

I could see Feng's adventure had worked. He was grinning from ear to ear when I arrived.

"How much time did you spend there?" I asked.

"About four hours."

"Wow! That long. Learn something interesting?"

"First thing I looked at is how they had their data organised. File structure, directories, that sort of thing. Not quite the way we do it, though no great drama to figure out. The language is a bit archaic, but manageable with a little imagination.

"The data will blow your socks off. It's all there, at least from the moment the humans arrived some 400 years ago."

"That long ago? I didn't think humans were capable to reach so far into space at that time. We are over one thousand light years away from Earth."

"Exactly right. Something went wrong while they were in hyperspace. When they emerged they found themselves in the Orion belt with wrecked engines and no way back. They found a habitable planet and managed to land the ship, fairly intact with no loss of life from what I can gather.

"They did the best they could, made friends with the natives and taught them science and technology. It's quite a story. I only skipped over it and had to stop myself or I would still be there."

"I can't wait to see it."

"Hold your horses. Wait until I've downloaded the stuff. Then you can read as much as you like. It'll only be a day or two until I get the hardware sorted out. In the meantime we best stay away from the library."